Filling device for liquid fuel tanks



A. J. HIGGINS FILLING DEVICE FOR LIQUID FUEL TANKS Filed Nov. 26, 1938 Patented Dec. 17, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIcE' FILLING DEVICE FOR LIQUID FUEL TANKS Andrew J. Higgins, New Orleans, La Application November 26, 1938, serial No. 242,590

4 Claims. (01. 2 -155) This invention relates to filling cans for replenishing the liquid fuel tanks ,of internal combustion power plants in automobiles, aircraft and motor boats. v r

The objects of the invention are to produce a filling can for liquid fuels, the novel features of which are devoted to the obtention of the maximum discharge capacity by the prevention of swirl, the exclusion of water from the delivered fuel, and the prevention of the back splashing of the liquid fuel due air from the tank being filled should the spout of the filling can fit the inlet of the tank tooclosely.

Other objects of the invention will appear .as the following description of a preferred and practical embodiment thereof proceeds.

In the drawing which accompanies and forms I a part of the following specification and throughout the several figures of which the same characters of reference havebeen employed to designate identical parts:

Figure 1 is a vertical diametrical section; Figure 2 is a section taken along the line 2-2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a section taken along the line 3-4 of Figure 1; and Y Figure 4 is a plan view with a portion broken away to reveal underlying structure. Referring now in detail to the several figures, the numeral I represents the main body or reservoir of the can which may be of any desired shape, but is here shown as being cylindrical and having a preferably fiat bottom 2. The body I 5 has an open top surrounded by a downwardly convergent annular flange 4 on the inside of the can, preventer. When the'liquid fuel is discharged -into the body I of the can with great force it 0 tends to mount the sides of the can and would ordinarily overflow the edges of 'the can, but by the present construction, itis trapped behind the annular'fiange 4 and deflected downwardly into the body of the can Said annular flange 4 also served another purpose. It has a small hole or vent II which is primarily for the purpose of draining out water or trash by turning the filling can upside down, but this vent in conjunction with the air space behind the annular 50 flange l constitutes adash pot so that when .the can is filled to the point at which the liquid fuel inundates the free edge of the annular flange l, the entrapped ceding air cushion preventing immediate over- 58 flow'of thecan.

to the displacement of.

. inrushing fuel against said annulus functioning as an overflow- Consequently,

air acts as a slowly re- The side wall of the body I is formed with a large; aperture 5 covered bya strainer screen! ofv fine mesh. It is well known that inth-e case of two liquids which will not readily mix, such as gasoline and water, if a screen of fine mesh be first wet with one of these liquids, it will be repellent to the passage of the other of these liquids and the mesh of the screen 6 is made of such fitieness as to accomplish this purpose.

All liquid fuel contains a certain amount of water and this particularly is true of fuel stored along a water front where the air is humid, and being constantiy'breathed into .and out of fuel storage tanks as a result of atmospheric temperature changes, it is inevitable that a, great deal of moisture is condensed within said tanks and contaminates the fuel in one way or another either by forming a puddle at the bottom of the fuel body or by beingdispersed" in fine form throughout the fuel body itself.

It is known that where the strainer screen is in the bottom of the filler can the impact of the said screen may drive particles of water through said screen notwithstanding. thefact that the screen is repellent to the passageiof water. The present invention avoids this tically against said opening. I! of the opening 5 is The lower edge impact, but it will not impinge forciblyagainst the screen .8 and therefore will not drive the water with which the fuel may be saturated or mixed through the fine mesh of the screen. the,,fuelwhich passes the screen 8 will be free from water.

It is practically impossible to introduce 'a stream of liquidinto a vessel without creating a circular movement of body of liquid in the vessel which in'turn sets up centrifugal force driving the body of liquid against thesldes of the vessel and creating of the vessel. It-logicaliy follows that due to the presence of this invention provides for the prevention of swirl in the can body I by means of the baffles 3 which are arranged in vertical planes. at diametrically at a slight distance above I the bottom 2 of the reservoir I so that any water of the screen 6. The inrushair core a vessel cannot be quickly filled to its full capacity. The present draw-back ,by having the opening 5 vertical and the screen 6 likewise arranged ver-' an air core inthe center opposite points in the body I and preferably at opposite sides of the screen 6. v 56 In carrying out the idea of having the bottom 2 of the can body flat, serving as a water trap, it is necessary to displace the spout from the central or axial position which is customary in funnels to a lateral position offset from the body of the can and on the opposite side of the screen 6. Thus the spout I5 is located at the extreme side of the can and outside of the screen 6. The spout emanates from an extension I which is suitably secured to the outside wall of the body I. Said extension is of sufficient cross sectional area to receive the maximum amount of fuel which can pass through the screen 6. Thus the level of the fuel in the extension I is always practically as high as the level of the fuel within the body of the can. This prevents any preponderant head of liquid in the body of the can which would create a high velocity of flow through the screen 8 and possibly carry through the finely divided water which the screen 5 is designed to stop. The active head of water in the body I is limited by the later discharge through the spout I5 which spout is of considerably less cross sectional area than that of the extension I.

On account of the relatively restricted cross sectional area of the spout I5, the presence of a swirl in this region would materially reduce the rate of discharge of liquid fuel from the can. To

prevent this swirl a thin vertical baflle I6 is secured diametrically within the spout I5.

It sometimes happens that the spout of the can is inserted into a tank inlet of so nearly the same diameter as the spout I5 as to cause the displaced air from the tank being filled to blow up through the spout I5 creating a back splash which ordinarily throws fuel on the surrounding surfaces creating a fire hazard.

The extension I in the present invention is carried to a height considerably above the top of the screened opening 5 so that the aerated column produced by the back flow of air through the spout I5 under the conditions just described, will not overflow the can, but will be accommodated within that part of the extension I which extends abovethe said screened opening. The top of the extension I is provided with an air vent II covered by a wire screen I2. If it were not for this air vent the back flow of air through the spout I5 would fill the upper part of the extension forcing the level of fuel below the upper edge of the opening 5, the air thereupon escaping into the body I of the can where it might cause the fuel to splash out of the tank. The presence of the air vent I I provides for an escape of this air and the object of the screen is to turn back any spray or drops of liquid which might be carried-up by the escaping air. Inasmuch as the liquid fuel within the spout I5 and the extension I has been freed from water by the vertical screen 6, it is desirable to shield the screen I2 from the ingress of water from rain, or in the case of a boat, from spray. vWith this end in view, a shield or guard plate I3 is secured above the screen I2, being open on one side as at III for the escape of the'air.

As has been suggested in the early part of the specification, such water as may have collected upon the flat bottom 2 and below the edge I8 oi the screened opening 5, also such trash as may have likewise entrapped in the can body may be emptied from the can by turning the latter upside down permitting the water and trash to run from the hole I'I.

While I have in the above description disclosed what I believe to be a preferred and practical embodiment of my invention, it will be understood to those skilled in the art that the specific details of construction and the arrangement of parts as shown and described are merely by way of illustration and not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. Filling can for liquid fuel comprising a main body or reservoir and an extension at one side thereof having an outlet at the bottom, with a screened opening in the side wall of said body affording communication between said body and said extension, the screen being of sufilcient flneness to exclude the passage of water, the lower edge of said screened opening terminating above the bottom of said main body, making the lower part of said main body a water trap, the upper edge of said body being provided with an inward downwardly convergent annular flange for defleeting the upward peripheral surge of liquid produced by forcible influx of liquid into said can, and a drainage opening in said flange for discharging trapped air and trash upon inversion of said can.

2. Filling can for liquid fuel comprising a main body or reservoir and an extension at one side thereof with a secreened opening in the side wall of said'body aifording communication between said main body and extension, the screen being of sufficient fineness to exclude the passage .of water, said extension rising to a substantial distance above the upper edge of said screened opening and having a cross section at least as great as the aggregate area of the passages through said screen,.and a spout of less cross sectional area than said extension communicating with said extension adjacent the bottom thereof, said extension being provided with an air vent adjacent the top, a screen covering said air vent and means forming a rain guard secured above said vent. I

3. A container for liquid passage, comprising a reservoir, an outlet passage in the side of the reservoir positioned above the level of the bottom thereof, swirl-inhibiting baflles opposite each other adjacent the periphery of the reservoir and extending from the wall thereof toward each other with a space between them opposite the outlet passage, a compartment beside the reservoir "enclosing the outlet passage, an outlet duct below the compartment and communicating therewith. 4. A container for liquid passage comprising a reservoir, an outlet passage in the side of the reservoir positioned above the level of the bottom thereof, a compartment beside the reservoir enclosing the outlet passage, an outlet duct below the compartment and communicating therewith, a flange around the upper edge of the reservoir extending inwardly, a hole in the flange opposite the outlet passage and adjacent the wall of the reservoir.

ANDREW J. HIGGINS. 

